Will it really work for me?

[micnic1027 1]

Hi all, I've been pretty quiet on here so far. Just mostly "creeping" and educating myself. I was hoping for some honest advice. I have talked to my Dr. but still have reservations. I am a low carber and have been on and off for years. Right now its been about 5 months steady. We (hubby & I) do not eat bread, Cereal, Pasta, flour ,sugar etc, etc. I have even cut back on the high fat cheese. I weaned myself off my diet coke addiction months ago also. I am not losing the weight I have in the past with low carb. I already drink an EAS carb control Protein Shake for Breakfast along with a Quest bar everyday. In fact when I had my first Nut appt. I was pleasantly surprised by the things she had on the list that we already use. Greek yogurt, crystal light, Protein Shakes etc. I'm concerned that I already am not eating "bad stuff" and one would think I should be ahead of the game. However, if its not working now, what chance do I stand after the sleeve? Thank you for listening.

[cindyw41 761]

I think it will most definitely work for you. All the things you are doing are recommended in my 6mos pre-op diet plan and the good habits we start prior to surgery will be in place after. You ARE ahead of the game. ????

[Babbs 14,680]

Yes, it will work if you make it work for you.

Getting sleeved will give you the "jump start" on weight loss you will need to keep it going. It happens oraganically at first, but then you continue the momentum to keep it going. It also helps that hunger is lower and you're very restricted on how much you can eat. You sound very educated in low carb eating, and that's a plus! Keep educating yourself on the process and what you need to do to get the opitumum results desired with your surgery.

Honestly, it ulimately is all up to you how far you want to go with it. If you work the sleeve, it will work for you.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

This is a concern I had/have. I have been a low carber/keto off and on for about 14 years. I lose weight but I get to a certain point, stall out and never lose more. I worry/worried that low carbing with just a smaller stomach wouldn't produce better results.

Now that I am post op I can see how a vastly smaller stomach will help me long term. Even low carbing and eating Keto, you can over eat, and take in too many calories. Most Ketoers don't count calories just carbs. It makes it too easy to over eat.

My sleeve is a tool to help me always keep my portions in control. I am going to have to track what I eat for the rest of my life, and be very aware of what I am eating. I think my sleeve is a tool that will help me do all of that easier and not feel hungry or deprived. There is no reason to stop doing keto now, like in the past, when I had issues with being full or feeling constantly deprived. Feeling almost stuffed off a few ounces of food is a luxury you won't understand until you feel it.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I had gotten to the point pre-op where losing any weight was an extreme battle. To such a point that if I had been required to lose any weight I would have never been able to have surgery. I struggled just to maintain my weight.

Post-op, things changed right away. I had a good loss at my one week and one-month follow up, and a very significant loss at my three-month follow-up.

It does work. It's not easy. The keys to success are fairly simple though: follow your doctors program, focus on getting in all your fluids and Protein, avoid starches, and exercise when you are cleared.

[micnic1027 1]

Thank you all For your feedback. It is very encouraging!

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

If you are already on a low carb diet and have found that you are no longer losing weight then it means that the diet itself has already helped you as much as it can alone. You will need to increase your exercise level in order to begin losing again. My opinion would be that the sleeve may not work for you if you are not or have no plans to increase your exercise and activity level. However, please check with your doctor.

[IncredibleShrinkingMan 437]

As you lose weight, your calorie requirement goes down, so the same number of calories will result in progressively less weight loss. In addition, before you have the surgery, your hunger hormone will instruct your body to lower your metabolism in response to calorie control. I agree, the best thing to do now to jumpstart your metabolism is exercise. That way, at the time you have the sleeve, your body will not respond to dramatically reduced calories by attempting to lower your metabolism. After that point, the only weight loss hold-ups you will see is when you have attained a weight that is sustainable with the number of calories you are taking in...and hopefully the first time that happens will be your desired maintenance weight!

[her1981 448]

I was the same. I have been a low carber for the last 10 years and somehow my weight managed to creep up to 400+ pounds no matter how low carb I stayed. So when I opted for the surgery, I was concerned that it wouldn't work for me, but it has, so far. I'm a slow loser, but I am consistently losing 2-3 pounds a week and that's good for me. I'm eating the exact same things I was eating before, but the quantity is far less. I found that even though I was low carb, I was still getting about 2000+ calories per day. Now I'm getting about 850-1000 and having success. Be encouraged.